Oriental Penmanship: Specimens of Persian Handwriting, illustrated with facsimiles from originals in the South Kensington museum

;

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ORIENTAL

PENMANSHIP

SPECIMENS OF

PERSIAN HANDWRITING ILLUSTRATED WITH FACSIMILIES FROM ORIGINALS IN THE

SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM

BI LATE

LORD

E.

H.

ALMONER'S

PALMER,

M.A.

PROFESSOR OF ARABIC, CAMBRIDGE,

ETC.

TO WHICH ARE ADDED

ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE NAGARI CHARACTER BY

FREDERIC PINCOTT,

M.R.A.S.

56R563

LONDON

CROSBY LOCKWOOD AND SON 7,

STATIONERS' HAt.L COURT, LUDGATE HILL,

E.G.

PREFACE. THE

following

Professor

late

disastrous

last

of

exposition

H.

E.

mission

Persian

Palmer, to

a

was

handwriting

few

months

before

In

addition

to

Egypt.

by the

compiled

he

on

started

the unusual facility with

which Professor Palmer could speak Eastern languages, he had paid attention

to

Persian

calligraphy,

elegance, in several different friends.

and was himself able as

styles,

Not only had he acquired

is

well

skill

in

his

known

more

the

write, with

to to

special

his

much

more intimate

beautiful

forms of

Oriental penmanship, but he had also mastered the Shikasta, or running hand,

which

has

so

Europeans.

constantly

It is

proved

a

notorious that the great mass of

standing their colloquial knowledge of after

Urdu and

and riddle

officials in

Persian,

come

to

ordinary

India, notwithshort,

though

twenty or more years spent in the East, of mastering the intricacies of the

running hand. in

stumbling-block

an Oriental

Professor Palmer, without the advantage of prolonged residence country,

attained

expertness

in

this

most

difficult

style

of

PREFACE.

iv

which the

principles on

has

forth

set

had

he

because

writing,

the

in

the

analyzed

letters

connected

are

book

following

character,

and

;

that they will remove all difficulties from

him

to correspond freely with natives of

official

to

documents

contents

for the

depend on his 'amala or

The were

Plates

for

under

prepared

the

of

had

and

These principles he

together. it

may

the

discovered

be anticipated

securely

the learner, and enable

the path of

the East, and to read for himself the

which he has had hitherto, generally,

sarishtaddr.

greater

part

of the

own

Palmer's

Professor

Persian eye

he

;

book

of this

portion

the

superintended

engraving personally, making several experiments, in order to ensure accuracy

and beauty, and

finally

tional illustrations

of the raqam, or

of

approved

them

as they

now

have been added, by way of exercises

method of noting numbers, has been

Some

appear.

addi-

and an explanation

;

given,

in view

of

its

great utility to all officials and people having business relations with the East,

and because that

also is a source of perplexity to the majority of students.

In order to render the work more valuable special section is

for the

of

the

has been

use of those

character

exhibited

;

is

but the

added

who

given, practical

on

the

Sanskrit and

some specimens

nature of

the

Nagari character.

are studying

and

to

the

of

Indian

work rendered

a

This, of course,

An

Hindi.

fairly

official,

good it

analysis

writing

undesirable

are to

introduce the more ornamental forms of Nagari.

The energy with which the Hindi language has into

notice,

and the determination

evinced to render

it

recently been brought

an

official

medium

of

PREFACE.

forms

epistolary

made

have

communication,

of

models

character

of the

a

possesses

in

It

use.

character, in the perfect legibility of even

The

Lundi,

Sarrafi,

sufficient

documents.

It

are not

&c.,

or confined

either local,

claim

&c.,

to

importance

illustrated

lead

to

people, and

general

may, however, be counted on as certain

the

at present

and

Bihar, it

is

form

will

case.

It

shortly

the

to

as

Nagari

of the

Arabic

Mahajani, Modi, in

that they are

cannot,

adoption that, in

much more

has been recognized

spread

from actual

the

that

in this book,

a few years, the Kaithi character will come into is

seen

as the Kaithi,

their

to

be

the

accepted

confidently

Shikasta

of

classes

special

selected

of

hurried forms.

its

such

derivative forms of Nagari,

be

will

the

over

advantage

conspicuous

have been

They

and therefore may daily

some specimens

include

to

necessary

Nagari writing.

by natives of India,

letters

it

in

official

the course of

general use than

in

officially

therefore,

the

province of

North-West Provinces, where, indeed,

almost universally employed by Hindus,

it

although

has not yet been

recognized in Courts and Kachharis.

would

have

add his

final

It

lived

to

bears upon

it

at last appears it

all

in a

closes with

health

began to

additional to

had Professor Palmer

advantage,

the work

of his originality,

now

offered to the public.

dignity

the

It

is

hoped that

it

of his distinguished reputation, and

catalogue of his

useful

book consciously run counter suffer

It

and shows the thoroughness with

branches of his favourite study.

manner not unworthy

one respect does this his

an

corrections

the impress

which he explored

that

been

from close application

to

publications.

to

his

wishes.

In only

When

important pursuits,

he

PREFACE

vi

resolved in

to

give up

teaching the elements of Persian

1880, he declared that he would

This,

his

resolved

concluding to

teach

teach the alphabet,

no it

more.

He

to

be hoped,

enable others to attain, in

eminence.

some

the University,

and,

" never again teach alphabets to boys." is

posthumous work,

is

at

will

devoted to the

continue, by for

many

measure, the

means

years

skill

to

subject of

he

had

this book,

to

come, and thereby

which raised his name to

CONTENTS. PAGE

PERSIAN HANDWRITING

...... ........

1

ELEMENTS OF THE ALPHABET

6

SERIES OF EXAMPLES

9

RELATIVE PROPORTIONS OF CHARACTERS

THE

SHIKASTA, OR

CURRENT HAND

SPECIMENS OF SHIKASTA

RAQAM NOTATION EXPLAINED

.

... .

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.28 .24 .80 .89 .42

NAGARI HANDWRITING SPECIMENS OF CAREFUL WRITING

.

SPECIMENS OF EPISTOLARY STYLE

.

46 .

.

.

.49

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

THE Arabic

character, which

The paper

left.

is

held,

used by Persians,

is

by Eastern

and may be supported on the opinion, be rested upon a table.

a card

the paper

may be

The pen it

is

too large,

it

held

lightly

neath to support find

beginning

to

the

but should not, in their

knee,

or lightly doubled

rolled

up

;

or

it.

the middle finger

;

is

then placed under-

it.

propev

write,

drawn downwards thus

may be

hand while

between the thumb and forefinger, so that

turns easily between the two

To

left

held in the left hand to support

is

written from right to

calligraphists, in the left

writing,

If

is

place

the

to the right,

hold the pen

to

position

nib

at

make a

:

Fio.

1.

such

an

perfect

on

the

angle that

"diamond"

paper it

when

would,

if

or "lozenge,"

PERSIAN HANDWRITING. "dot"

This lozenge or

must learn

make.

to

make every

dot,



final

O

forms. >,

examples consists

alphabet,

Letters

and next, the

which

are given only

once.

differ

of,

first,

initial

only in

the detached forms

form of each, followed

the

diacritical

points, as

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

Bismi b

alif

r

The sentence with which means,

" In the

name

of

k

I

m

n

bs

bsh

L^, the bodies of

forms.

z

s

this

sh

s

t

bs

Idm-alif bt

b

b

y

f

c_> will, of

f

q

is

Arabic,

Compassionate."

and It

is

UJ

^

writings or books.

y

bf

'ain

commences

exercise

Mohammadan

h

iv

The combinations with and

z

God, the Merciful, the

always placed at the head of

k

'r-rahmdni 'r-rahim

'lldhi

d

j

10

bq

bd bk

bt

bl

bj

bd

br

bm

course, serve

for

O

cl>

these letters being the same in the initial and medial

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

bh

bid

by

js

jsh

jr

jd

by js

jb

f

jt

V ji7

jm jm jn sd

sb

sh

sd

jh

jd jd

jf jq

jTc

jh

sd

jw

sr

jld

sr

s

them from the mere prolongation

jy

jy

ss

or sh,

in careful writing,

of a letter, aa

jr of the second line of the previous piece of writing.

j

is

prolonged merely to

fill

up the

jr

V

(Three dots are often placed under the distinguish

jj

11

line,

or for artistic

in

to

the second

In that case, the

effect.)

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

ss

sn

s/.

s'

sw

sh

sh

sld

sr

r

sr

sq

sk

sl

sm

sm

s/

sd

sy

sy

ss

ssh

ss

st.

sm

sm

sn

sw

sb

s

12

sj

l

sf

sh

sh

ad

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

tm 'a

'&

'

tw

in '

d

'

d

th

'

r

th

'

r

tld

'

r

'

13

iy

ty

s

'

sh

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

'*

w

'n

t

*h

"

/

'h

'Id

A A A

/d fk

l

fl

/*

Lam

,\

exactly like is

is

t>

(

'y

y

/*

f$

fm fm fn fw

The combinations with cJ, not given in

n

'k

'q

(

m

'm

fd fb

ft

fh fh

fj

f

ff

fid

fy

fd

fq

fy

of course, serve for initial q&f ^J.

combination

with

kdf in this respect, except that

without the slanting stroke on the top.

the it

is

other letters,

as

not quite so

tall,

it

is

and

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

kd kl

km

kn

kb

kd

kj

kw

kh

kr

ks

ksh

kid

ky

ky

m

mt

mm mn mw mh

mid

ms

ms

m

(

my

k

k%

md mb

mf mq my

hd

k

15

l

mj

kf

kq

md mr mr

mk

ml

hb

hj

hd

hd

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

cr

16

:

Zf

t ^^

^H--.

^J ^^^^^

^vW *y**w^ **

JO

DWRITING.

T

aTC

Air

19

mumerr

flabr et Jcemdl

i

i wuqu'dt i nik o bad mihnat in niz bugzarad.

PERSIAN H

VD WRITING.

V Jahdndah husan Miidat ddmi

tatbiq idar

ydrdn

Wazir-i-awwal badshdh-i-aivwal ddmiyat bashqah 'dlimdar.

PERSIAN H

rV

^3 fe

A

^a

fi| vv*^

* ^sj**Tl^ 5).^^%,

v^

MPTr 1 J ^,^W$W* f

/

'/

.

X

n.

5^

-

x

^l

1

yt,^-y> /'b ' .

,

*sr

fix

^

;

.^.^f

>

|y ii;^p

f!^l ^ i i

W

:

W WRITING.

21

\

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

22

Transliteration of Plate, p. 21. Innahu n in Sulaimdna i

wa

innahu.

Eismi

'r-rahmani

'lliihi

'r-rahimi.

Abn Bakrin

'Umaru

as-siddi'i

'1-fariiqu

at-taqi.

'n-naqi'.

Wa ma Muhammadnn

ill

Qala 'llahu ta'ala jalla jallaluhu.

rasu-

Wa

lun sadaqa.

'An

la bi '1-qasiri '1-mnta-

'1-mu'mini'na

ami'ri

kana rab'atan mina '1-qaumi wa lam yakun bi '1-ja'di '1-qatati

t:ilihin bni Abi karrama 'llahu wajhabn kana wasifa 'n-nabiya

wa

salla

raddadi

bi

la

kun

llahn 'alaibi wa sallama qala lam yakun

kiina

's-sibti

ja'dan rajilan

'Ah'yi

wa lam

ya-

'1-mutahhami.

bi

bi

'1-mumagh-

't-tawili

ghaji.

Wa

Ajradu zii masbribatin ehasnu '1-kaffaini wa '1qadamaini iza masha ka'annama yataqalla'u yamshi f i sababin wa iza 'Itafata ma'an 'Itafata

bi

rabun

sbarrif

adbabu

ail-aju l-'ainaini '1-ashfari jah'lu

wa

'ala

wa

nabi'yi sbafi'i

'lamishashi

ri'na 't-Jaiyibina ajma'ina ila yaumi

wa

'd-di'ni

Khatamu 'n-nubiiwati wa hnwa khatamu 'n-nabi'n-nasi ajwadu wa a^daqahmn labjatan wa alyanubum yi'iiit

wa

sadran

raza tabaraka wa

'llabn ta'ala 'an jami'i "ssahabati ajma'i'na.

ulliilmmnia ealli wa sallim wa 'azzim 'ala nabi'yi 'r-rahmati wa

'1-katadi.

alibi

sahbibi 't-Jahi-

ahabbabu yaqulu nit-it nbu lam ara qablabu salamubu

wa

saiyidina Mushafi'ina

rifatan

ba'dahu mislahu salawatu 'llahi 'alaihi wa

'1-wajhi tad-

abyazu musbar-

hammadin wa

la

'1-mukalsami

wi'rnn

wa ma'-

fi

Allahnmma salli wa barik wa 'azzim wa 'r-rahmati '1-ummati

baina katafainibi.

Wa man khalatabu

la

wa kana

'arikatan

wa akramahum man ra'abu

'ashi'ratan

badi'batan hiibabu.

saiyidi.

Kama kami

muhwa 'llahi wa

qala 'llahu

fi

kitabi '1-mubini

lakinna rasiila

khatama

'n-nabi'yina sa'1-hauzi mardiidi '1-maqami 'l-mahdiidi

hibi

wa Muhammadin wa alibi wa sahbihi ajma'i'na.

Muhammadun

Wa

jami'i "1-an'l-mursah'na wa 'llazi ba'asa nabiyan wa saiyidi

biya'i

wa

Adama baina '1-ma'i wa 't-tini ra'ufun bi '1-mu'minina

muznibina 'llahu ila

shafi'u

'1-

arsalahu kaiTati khul-

qihi ajma'i'na.

Wa

rasiiln llahi sadaqa 'llahu

kafa

bi 'llahi

nhahidan.

'l-'azfmu.

'Us man zi

'All ar-razi

as-eakhi

'n-niiraini

al-

wafi.

'z-zaki.

Wa

la

arsalnaka

Ruwiya

man

wa

rah mat an

li

'an rnsiili 'llahi salla 'llahu 'alaihi

qala hina yasma'u '1-azana

hizihi 'd-da'wati 'n-nafi'ati

mahmudan

ilia

wa

's-salaii '1-qii'iyati ati

'1-iqamata

'U'alamma.

wa sallama

allabumma rabba

Muhammadan

al-wasilata

wa

'ba'shu

mtqiman

wa'adtahn hallat labu shafa'ati yauma '1-qiyamati sadaqa rasiiiu 'lliibi. Katabahu 'l-'abdn 'd-da'i 'Umaru '1-wasfi Katibu 's-sarai 'l-'iimirati sanah 1220. allazi

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

23

HANDWRITING.

I'KltSIAN

24

THE SHIKASTA, OR CURRENT HAND. The been

Shilcasta,

" broken ") or current hand of the Persians, has

(meaning

always considered a

and arbitrary form of writing, and has

difficult

been only very rarely acquired by Europeans, and that after long practice.

The is

fact,

however,

quite regular, and

is,

that

may be

it

a simple variation of the Ta'liq hand,

is

as easily reduced

to rule as

anv other form

of the Arabo-Persian Alphabet.

The letters

between

chief difference

i

\

join, in Shikasta,

j

alphabets they do not do so.

and the Ta'liq

it

For

towards the this

consists

left,

syllables a,

the additional strokes

and

curves

at

does not join to the

left,

whereas in the other

will

the

which are formed by not taking the pen

letter that

making the

purpose the forms of the letters are

sometimes slightly modified, but such modifications mainly of

in

beginning

off the

but carrying

be found to consist

it

on

paper to the

and

end of

at the end of

beginning of

the next.

The

letters

p

^

(J>

2 are slightly altered

in

shape

;

but the rest

retain the Ta'liq form.

There are one or two combinations which may seem arbitrary at sight, and these will be noticed further on.

The Shikasta differ

from the

alphabet,

Ta'liq,

is

then,

shown

neglecting

those

letters

in the following Plate.

which

do

first

not

PERSIAN HANDWRITING. Detached.

Ta'lfq.

25

Medial.

Initial.

Final.

I 1

alif

)

)

Ir

t 'X

LX>^^

.

'

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

a^lj

I;

34

JUT

yt

^s

gU)l ^ Jl^ LJI

O lj/ c

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

35

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

#/ r^/^/^^^-r

j

fijjj

36

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

37

fotob^fafy*!^

^(fCDS^lf

(-^

L

ix

^

--^^^ ***r-srfM^r, *^jrr jhjja^Ax^b<j2&z

s fi

*

>ff.

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

38

Transcription.

JJ5J



^jl^il

Jw*^* aJ;_jT

W^Xvol

^

S.fe'

^^^1 L*1

^ ,X^

^jl^j al;

^US" ^ki

_fti_j^J

a^-i>

ca.>ol

_J

^V*l3

d)Jl

^^e^



,Ujl_j Lo

j-oU.

)jS,

p

dsi/

aJ;_j

^^olc*

^U-

J_y-. desja^

i!

^K^M

fca

...A ;.!-'

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

39

RAQAM. This

the method universally employed

is

by nations

character for recording pecuniary transactions, and for noting " and measure. of The word

Arabic

the

using all

computations " noting," marking,"

weight

" writing,"

and

is

raqam denotes " " used for the price-mark placed on an article to express

The symbols themselves are merely abbreviations of the Arabic words denoting numbers and, notwithstanding their apparent complexity, are exceedingly simple when their characteristic features are recognized. value.

its

;

The raqam symbols from 1 to 10 are abbreviations of the Arabic words. Thus 1 is expressed by JJ> " number," with a final stroke implying " unity"; 2

is

6

is

represented by the dual form ^loo^ w~e

;

7

is

*-*;

are Shikasta forms of

each

the initial of

is

8

9

~$

3

;

is

10

u-Jtf

4

;

is

*y As

its

^^j

is

characteristic of

>

feature.

10

is

is

.

In forming the symbols

written with the characteristic

feature of

each unit running out into a streak underneath.

therefore,

may be

read

The

10+1, 10+2, 10+3, &c.

as

These symbols, figure

by the characteristic feature of 2 prefixed to the

are placed under this, as before, to express "double

the

The

finial of

characteristic features of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, to render the

numbers

10+1," up and

30, 40, 50, &c.

;

20

finial of

" double ten." symbol for 10, and thus simply enough indicates

10+9."

;

the symbols &)&> these words they are written from right to left; and is

from 11 to 19, the representative

represented

5 is ^~*&*

;

9, are

The to

is

the

units

"double

prefixed to

and the units are

run under each, as before explained, to express the intermediate numbers,

up

to 99.

The

figure 100

is

an abbreviation of the Arabic

uU

;

and the same

process of prefixing the characteristic features of the units, carries us up to

These symbols are placed at the right-hand side of the lesser numbers 20 .100. The symbol for 1000 is the Arabic word thus 123 would be written 900.

;

;

and the usual modifications of

its initial

part carry the numeration up to

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

90,000.

The

thousands are placed to the right of those

representatives of

representing hundreds; thus, 1125 would appear as

numbers beyond 90,000 the Indian words 10,000,000 have been availed the figure

1 prefixed,

improvised, and

up

^^

of.

indicating is

40

or

^5CJ

The word ^XJ " one lakh

"

^

is

.100.1000.

^1

To

100,000,

and

not used alone, but has

for 2 lakhs a dual

;

express

made to express " double lakh."

To render

form

is

3 lakhs

to 90 lakhs, first the units, and, in this case, the tens also are

the primary symbol, until after

we reach

which the former process

is

1

karor, and its

repeated,

if

run under " 2 karors," dual karordn,

such Jhigh numbers are ever

required.

It is

hoped that the foregoing explanation

many Europeans raqam

figures

is

will simplify

to be a puzzling system of notation.

here added.

A

what appears

to

complete table of

PERSIAN HANDWRITING.

41

TABF.E OF RAQAM.

7

2J

**

j

I*

^ V

}

jo.

7-

U

I*

>>

7"-

x

S, 000, 0vf